To everything there is a season.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to build-up, a time to knock-down.
A time to dance, a time to mourn.
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.
The season has passed—twenty-two of them, in fact. And so, it seems, has our time come and gone.
Long-time neighbors in The Village will remember when we opened 22 years ago. What a different place this was! Mom & Pop shops were the rule, not the exception. One-of-a-kind shops lined the streets—and shoppers could find odd and wonderful delights unavailable in any suburban shopping mall. The Internet was something new and Simon & Garfunkel sang that “thirty dollars pays your rent on Bleecker Street.”
What happened? Well, the rich got richer; the poor moved-on; and those in the middle chose, increasingly, to give their business to Amazon.
Don’t get me wrong: I have had (and continue to have) amazing and supportive customers. I’m brimming with tears of gratitude as I write this sentence. But as my rent (and every other expense) increases, it’s hard to rely on the same devoted core of supporters to keep spending more and more.
Take a look around. There are very few small shops left. I guess it’s always been just a matter of time.
So, with a full heart and a head full of ideas, this old lion heads off on a new path. Though I don’t know (yet) the precise form LEO Design will assume in the future there will be a new incarnation of this old business. Please check our website; as soon as something new opens/emerges/evolves, I’ll let everyone know.
Please don’t disappear.
With much affection,
Kimo Jung
LEO Design will be closing its doors on 31 January. Please visit the store (or website) where all remaining merchandise is on-sale.
Our on-line shop will continue on! Please visit www.LEOdesignNYC.com.